I often notice that whenever someone I care about is suffering self-care has fallen by the wayside. I notice that getting a good night's sleep, some kind of exercise or body movement, making healthy choices in food and doing something that they enjoy and brings them pleasure are not even considered. I also notice that these are the very same things that people lose sight of when they become too busy.

We live in a society that is success driven. We are often seeking happiness. Almost any conversation can lead to beauty or health. And yet, we don't seem to understand the connection, or perhaps it is the disconnect, of nurturing the body, mind and soul.

Years ago, I had a professor who shared with me his belief that in order for someone to truly feel whole, to experience well being and to obtain happiness they needed to tend to the needs of the body, mind and the soul, not just one or two, but all three together. Leaving any one of these unattended would prevent fulfillment and one would always feel something was lacking.

You don't have to look to far to find ways to nurture your body. There are plenty of resources that will enlighten you to what your body needs to obtain the just right weight, activity and rest. Additionally, there are so many options one can chose to help bring rest to the mind, positivity to the thoughts, challenges to expand and keep alive the brain and distraction to relieve stressful thoughts.

But often we struggle with finding what it is we need to feed our soul. What satisfies it? What delights it? What gives it pause to rest? How do we engage with it on a daily basis and tend to its needs? For each of us there are different answers to these questions. But, just asking the questions is part of the honoring. Be assured the answers will come in time.

There are some "tools" that I have found that help me uncover my soul's needs. Nature is the perfect environment. There is something about taking a hike or sitting beneath a tree or swinging in a hammock that unlocks the door the conversation with the Universe. Here I am able to entertain the ideas that bubble up of what I need or long for, what delights me and how can I find ways to invite this into my day.

Writing in a journal often gives my soul voice. Slowly the words come together to explore the possibilities of what I could do with my free time or what my spiritual practice desires. Within the lines of my journal I begin to see a pattern forming and the solution to my situation presents itself and I am able to manifest something of value.

Taking the time to nurture our soul is as equally important as the time we spend taking care of our body's needs and our mind's thoughts. This time spent will enrich our day and our spiritual practice. It will help us feel more and more whole, happy and full. The balance becomes complete and the world responds in kind with more and more possibilities for us to embrace to maintain our well being.

Fast paced! That is what the world's energy feels like of late. Hurrying from one task to the next, quickly completing one goal only to set another. Rushing through the experiences of life so that we can get to the next. And we miss so very, very much.

It is easy to get pulled into the flow of this energy. We find ourselves overwhelmed, frustrated, unfulfilled and exhausted. Fast forward does not work well for most of us. It forces us to cram life's moments one on top of the next, without the full rich experience, without the opportunity to enjoy, witness or receive all that is within them.

We ignore our natural rhythms and take on a pace that is set by some unseen force that does not align with our energies. Eventually, this all comes to a screeching stop as our body complains, our mind stresses and our soul aches.

When we slow down and take the time we become more mindful and observant. We are much more present and aware. We find lessons and gifts in the moments of our life. We witness the beauty of others and all that surrounds us. We experience joy and love; two energies that thrive in the gentleness of pleasurable luxury, unmeasured time and open possibilities.

We become aligned and restore our own personal balance. Tasks still demand our attention, but we discover we are better at completing them. We recognize that our hurried state can only serve us for so long before we are just a speeding reckless being that is quickly burning out.

Abandoning the frenzied pace that is so readily presented to us gives us the chance to find our own pace that is comfortable, agreeable and keeps us in our power and in our grace. We can consciously choose when we need to amp up our energies, but it certainly does not need to be something we give our control over to. Living at our own pace, taking time to be present and engaged, we find brings abundance to our moments that fuel us for the long and steady as well as the quick and demanding.

We pass through many stages in our soul growth. The gates open for us and we pass through. Sometimes while we are in this process of learning something new, we are developing a blossoming skill, or we may be quieting down in the use of an one we overuse and we feel a bit of overwhelm and struggle with our balance.

As we step into unknown territory and begin new practices or release one's that no longer serve us there is a tremendous shift in our energies. Sometimes we gracefully move through this shift, but many, many times we find ourselves asking, "Where is the balance?"

Imagine learning the skill of using your words wisely to get what you need in life and not taking on more than you do need. We may find ourselves saying yes to too much. Or we may be saying no too often without giving it enough thought and looking at things from the many different perspectives. Hmmm, we need to find the balance.

Perhaps we gain a new tool to use in our spiritual practice. Our excitement and delight in this tool has us turning to it again and again with each decision or prayer we put forth. Our other tools sit waiting patiently for our return, even those that would so much better serve the purpose at the moment for us. Once again, we find we need to restore our balance and learn to select the just right tool for the intention.

As we learn to master our new skills, our tools, our newest practice we find that a tremendous aspect of the mastering is in finding the balance. Our soul will help us in this lesson. We just need to remember to tap into our inner wisdom and listen. We need to pause, slow down, consider, weigh and wait. With time it will be come clear what is needed. Our soul will help us to hone and craft the best use for our needs. We do not want to overcompensate or under use. We need to find our sweet spot in the process. That just right balance of energies, time and use. When we discover that finding the balance is also big part of the lesson we then find ourselves accepting that this is as well a wonderful aspect of our growth.

We all understand that the food we eat fuels our body. We have some understanding that making "healthy" choices will help our body work better. We understand that the quality of the food we eat has an impact on how we feel.

But do we know that there is so much more to the body's relationship with food? Do we understand the body, the mind and the soul are impacted by our food choices. If we can agree that EVERYTHING in life is made up of energy, and this fact has been scientifically proven...Google it, then the energy we are consuming will have a direct relationship to the energy that we ARE!

Finding your true north is about finding YOUR way. Not that of the person sitting next to you or someone whose book you have read about their path or their choices. We are all incredibly, beautifully unique. That means our energies are unique and one of a kind. What works for me in regards to my relationship with food may not work for you. Our bodies are sending each of us their own personal messages.

How we listen to those messages, what we do with that information and how we invest in this relationship will be what has the most dramatic impact on your body, your mind and your soul connection. The one thing I have learned over time is that many people have a hard time "hearing" these messages and an even harder time interpreting them. It is an intimate connection between the foods we eat and how they serve our body. Finding the balance that is right for one person will be a terrible imbalance for another.

Then there is the whole aspect of understanding the energies to be found in the foods we eat. You can imagine that the energies of a beautiful bowl of fresh seasonal fruit is going to be quite different than that of a cupcake. Tuning into these energies, seeking what our body needs in the moment, what our mind and soul are seeking is all part of the equation. There are times when that cupcake are extremely important and satisfying and brings the "just right" energy to our body! Just as there are times when the bowl of fruit is the optimal choice.

Over the past several years I have developed a lovely relationship with my body and food. I have learned to listen to the messages. I have shifted my thinking about good versus bad foods. I have delighted my soul with powerful unique energies that keep me balanced and vibrant and alive! I have shared this understanding with many. Over time Finding Your True North Food was born.

Everyone can have a balanced and satisfying relationship with their body and food. Every relationship will be different. Learning how to nurture this relationship, to understand it, to keep it sound and balanced is an important aspect of our well being; body, mind and soul.